QNSWER: To live a better life, get some exercise. To live a longer life, work a little harder and step up the pace.
According to a study recently reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, moderate activity won't boost longevity. Nonvigorous exercise did not reduce mortality rates, whereas vigorous exercise is associated with lower mortality rates. Vigorous exercise is defined as exertion requiring at least six times the effort as resting. Some good examples are very brisk walking, jogging, swimming laps, playing singles tennis or doing heavy chores around the yard, such as pushing a lawn mower.
Even though moderate exercise doesn't necessarily boost longevity, it has other benefits. Any amount of exercise will improve the quality of one's life, increase energy and strength and promote physical and emotional well-being. If you exercise a little harder than moderately, exercise can help regulate blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease and adult-onset diabetes.
What constitutes "vigorous" exercise for one person may not be vigorous for another. If you've been a couch potato, a 10-minute walk may be enough for you now, but once you've achieved a certain level of fitness, you'll want to advance to the next level so as to keep reaping the benefits of exercise.
Any exercise is better than no exercise. But for people who can exercise at a higher level, why not do so? The new data indicates you'll probably live not just a better, but a longer life.
A: You definitely should do both. It's true that one doesn't burn as many calories in one weightlifting workout as in aeerobics. However, if you increase your muscle mass by lifting weights, you will burn more calories during your aerobic workouts. Not only that, but you'll also burn more calories all the time, even while sleeping! This is because muscle is active tissue and burns calories; fat is inert tissue and doesn't. People with more muscle use up more calories.
A recent study showed that by doing both aerobic and weight training exercise, it was possible to lose 50 percent more weight than by doing aerobic exercise only. And adding weightlifting to your exercise routine gives you the added benefits of greater strength and improved appearance!